Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

A lot of people mention the extra weight of the R34 and R33 over the R32.

How much real world difference does extra kilos make to the performance of a car? Obviously less weight means more speed and better handling.

So considering the R33 GTS-T is 3.7% heavier than the R32 GTS-T, would this mean that the R32 is exactly 3.7% faster than an R33? (obviously comparing cars with exactly the same tyres, suspension etc etc).

If this is the case, then 3.7% isn't much difference IMO - I think driver skill would 'outweigh' this small percentage when it comes to any type of competition, be it track or drag events!

Here are the KERBweights I've found for each model:

R32 GTS-T - 1320kg

R33 GTS-T - 1370kg

R34 GT-T - 1410kg

R32 GTR - 1480kg

R33 GTR - 1530kg

R34 GTR - 1540kg

What do you think?

Edited by Primordial
Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/111689-skyline-weight-debate/
Share on other sites

slightly different wheelbase.. way the power is delivered to the ground due to the chasis design, weight balance, different gearbox ratios, engine toruqe, even aerodynamics, etc.

It's silly to say "R33 weighs <this>" as well, as s1 and s2 are usually different, etc, etc.. I know series1 R32 (89/90) is about 40kg lighter than series 2 (91-92)

Ok.. ill rephrase my initial question.. I just didnt want this to end up another series vs series thread!

How much difference does X amount of weight make in the REAL WORLD. People talk about the R33 as a 'boat' etc. But how much actual performance difference/benefit is there as a result - NOT including other factors of course.

Im not talking specific numbers, just your opinion of whether a small amount of weight makes a difference in the performance of a car

Edited by Primordial
A lot of people mention the extra weight of the R34 and R33 over the R32.

How much real world difference does extra kilos make to the performance of a car? Obviously less weight means more speed and better handling.

So considering the R33 GTS-T is 3.7% heavier than the R32 GTS-T, would this mean that the R32 is exactly 3.7% faster than an R33? (obviously comparing cars with exactly the same tyres, suspension etc etc).

If this is the case, then 3.7% isn't much difference IMO - I think driver skill would 'outweigh' this small percentage when it comes to any type of competition, be it track or drag events!

Here are the KERBweights I've found for each model:

R32 GTS-T - 1320kg

R33 GTS-T - 1370kg

R34 GT-T - 1410kg

R32 GTR - 1480kg

R33 GTR - 1530kg

R34 GTR - 1540kg

What do you think?

1989/90 R32GTST's weigh 1265 kgs, no sunroof, no ABS

For the same reasons 1989/90 R32GTR's weigh less than 1991/93 R32GTR's

Using engine power to weight is simplistic, you need to take into account the relative transmission losses.

Weight affects more than acceleration, there is also braking and cornering to be considered if you are looking at circuit work. There is also the effect of where the extra weight is. The extra ~200 kgs carried by a GTR is mostly on the front wheels, that has a big effect on how they handle.

Take a look at the success ballast applied to certain forms of racing, 40 kgs will take you from the front to the back of the grid.

:D cheers :D

Edited by Sydneykid

My 1989 r32 gtst 4door auto,with sunroof and a full tank of gas in full street trim weighed 1390kg, so im guessing it would weigh about 1320-1330kg dry, anyone else weighed there car??

yeah im with primordial, y do they say that 33 is too heavy wen in fact a stronger engine helps out balance the weight. why call 33 a boat? wen the 34 is heavier?

I think people say that because of the way they look, rather than how they go.

You've also gotta remember it's not all about the total weight it's about where it is. For example if anyone here has driven an old porsche 911 you will know what it's like with that huge amount of weight sitting behind the rear axle. It's like a pendulum and when the rear steps out it's very hard to catch. It also makes the front end very flighty and not seem as grounded. Compare that to a porsche boxer with agrubly the best place for an engine (midship) and you'll understand.

So if a car weighs more also think about where it carry's it's weight.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • @joshuaho96 Hmm considering the drama you've seen/experienced, have you looked into getting a built complete long motor shipped from Australia?  Considering the AUD is basically monopoly money when compared to the USD, at a glance this seems like a good option?
    • Bloody Skylines, they put you through the bloody wringer! Stick at it! Stunning drag strip BTW! Where is it? Can see part of the name on the slip and probably should just Google it!
    • I mean the other day I had to walk someone through diagnosing why their timing belt was walking off the cam gears. At least one of the issues was a bent tensioner stud. Local mechanics have found runout on the CAS mechanism causing weird failures. I'm also no saint here I've documented some of the things I've had to learn the hard way. Something I discovered recently is that my CA emissions catalytic converters weren't even welded correctly to align the downpipe to the main cat and they tossed the support bracket that goes from the transfer case to the downpipe to support everything there. I spend a lot of time chasing down these decidedly unsexy problems and the net effect is it feels like I never actually get to the original objective (flex fuel, VCAM, oil control, cooling, etc).
    • At times with how you make everything sound, all I imagine Americans doing when they see a gtr is standing there looking at it and bashing it with a gun like how a caveman would with a club and hoping it fixes itself 
    • I think this is just a product of how the US market works for this stuff. Shops are expensive and there's no real way of knowing what kind of results you're going to get, people don't really have the institutional knowledge. I have heard too much at this point to really put faith in anybody "full service" except maybe DSport and they aren't really a full service kind of shop. If you go to the right place I have no doubt they'll get it right for you. Some locals have set it up right but the cost really is nuts and even now they're still fighting issues. And you know I'm a crazy person who thinks things like twin scroll, relatively short low-mount cast headers, PCV recirc to intake, recirculating BOV, right-sized for ~400 whp, MAF load, validating all of that to a standard comparable to OEM test programs, etc are relevant. For what it's worth, multiple local owners at this point have been stuck in a perpetual cycle of blowing a motor -> getting someone to rebuild it -> some missed detail causes the bearings to wipe and spin just outside of break-in mileage or drop valves or some other catastrophe -> cycle repeats. I usually only find out about this because I'm perpetually helping random friends with diagnosing car troubles, Skyline or otherwise. The single turbo stuff if I'm honest is mostly secondary, it just doesn't seem to achieve the numbers in the ~2000-3000 rpm region that I would expect given the results I've seen here or in Motive's videos. I don't really know what we're missing here in the US to be causing this. Lots of people like to emphasize the necessity of finishing the project first and foremost, but I'm not made of money and I can't afford to be trashing a 15k+ USD engine build with any regularity. Or spending my relatively limited garage time these days unable to triangulate problems because too much was changed all at once. Also, even if it isn't a catastrophic failure I would consider spending the cost of single turbo conversion with nothing to show for it to be pretty bad. 
×
×
  • Create New...